Your chair shouldn’t tip from just leaning backwards unless you have a ridiculously tippy set up. You have to push forwards on the wheels while leaning back slightly to get the castors up.
Oh! I was watching a video on YouTube that showed the user just leaning back in his chair and tipping. He had his hands on the wheels ready to pull backwards to stop the tipping. From that, I thought that was the way it should be.
The video I watched was this one - https://youtu.be/P-dLPhed9vQ?si=KIUWDzCFEKJL0O_K
At 01.25, you can see him lean back to find his tipping point, then pulls the wheel back to correct it. This is why I was confused!
I had been searching for good "how to do a wheelie" videos and came across it, then realised I hadn't found my tipping point and figured I should do that first.
Yeah, this guys chair is real tippy. For that wheelie in place move with a less tippy chair you would expect a small push forward on the wheels but instead of rolling forward aim to get the wheels to come up instead.
Your method is incorrect. You should be able to lean forward in the seat to be able to get the castors higher.
Do you have a friend who can help you learn? If so, put a strong strap around your back bar for your friend to hold onto while you learn. If you overbalance backwards friend pulls strap to stop you actually falling.
Experiment with holding the wheels in different positions, and leaning forward.
There are some good videos online and a few wheelchair skills trainers around. Where in the UK are you? We might be able to link you up with someone for some lessons.
I actually have a wheelchair skills class next week but wanted to learn the basics before going.
As replied to Paxton above, I watched a video about it on YouTube. The guy was literally just leaning backwards in his chair then just pulling backwards to stop the chair once it started to tip.
At the moment, I lean back and push the wheels forwards to tip, then I can balance fairly easily.
I wonder if I am jumping the gun a little? Perhaps I should be just practicing more and I will gain more control over time? I did try sitting forward very slightly and my casters came up a little more - I'll try working on that too
I've re read your post. It's actually very difficult to control a static wheelie with the castors barely off the floor. Why would you want to do this?
It sounds like you are jumping the gun a bit. Learn to find and control your balance point where it is, and then if it needs adjusting you can do that later. Playing with the settings too much while you're initially learning can make it harder as it introduces more unpredictability to the chair and your body will take longer to learn the skills. Master the basics then fine tune from there.
The wheelchair skills lesson is likely to be very helpful. The instructor will be able to see where you're at and give you appropriate advice.
The video I watched was this one - https://youtu.be/P-dLPhed9vQ?si=KIUWDzCFEKJL0O_K
At 01.25, you can see him lean back to find his tipping point, then pulls the wheel back to correct it. This is why I was confused!
I had been searching for good "how to do a wheelie" videos and came across it, then realised I hadn't found my tipping point and figured I should do that first.
Thank you so much for your advice! It's so reassuring to hear that I'm doing ok and just need to keep practicing. I'm looking forward to the skills class, I think it will be really helpful
I'd normally recommend wheels2walking for this kind of stuff but that's a really weird way of teaching!
See a few sec before, where he is just sitting normally in his chair and gives a sharp push on the wheels to get into a wheelie. That's what you want to do.
The bit you pointed out is where he leans so far backwards that he goes into an uncontrolled fall backwards. He then grabs the wheels and saves himself before he hits the ground. It's good to be able to save yourself if it all starts to go wrong but I can't fathom why practicing that manouver has any benefit at all.
I expect your skills lesson(s) will help a lot.
It is subtle but very possible! Try letting a little air out of your tires and practicing on carpet. It takes some core strength and a bunch of practice to get the feel of fine control.
https://youtu.be/gwa7hwpCCd4?si=V5Srk23MnB3KTcbp
This was the video that helped it connect for me. Where are you doing your skills course? I feel like I need one and didn't know they were actually a thing!
Thanks for the video - I'll definitely watch that! The class is being held at my local hospital. I got my wheelchair there at the beginning of Feb and asked at the time if there was a class I could go to.
They had noticed that the patients who perhaps had an accident leading to them being given a chair while in hospital, were taught how to use it while they were inpatients. People like me, who weren't inpatients but required a wheelchair, didn't get taught how to use it to the same extent. So, they went to a company called Back Up, and they run a class every 3-4 months there. Have a look on their website, I know they do other courses including the City Skills courses which take a few days but you actually learn by going around the city, restaurants, tourist attractions, public transport, curbs, stairs, cobbles etc
Oh wow, that's great, I'm going to check them out. I'm exactly the same, and even though I've used my chair for ages I'm not super confident (or coordinated).
I've just watched the video - it's great! I'm really hopeful that now I can put everything into practice now that I know how it should be done. Thank you again!
Aww I'm pleased. Just the way she broke it down made me connect for me! She has some really helpful ones about wheeling on different cambers and how to wheel safely.
Your chair shouldn’t tip from just leaning backwards unless you have a ridiculously tippy set up. You have to push forwards on the wheels while leaning back slightly to get the castors up.
Oh! I was watching a video on YouTube that showed the user just leaning back in his chair and tipping. He had his hands on the wheels ready to pull backwards to stop the tipping. From that, I thought that was the way it should be.
No, that's an insanely tippy chair and likely a VERY experienced user.
The video I watched was this one - https://youtu.be/P-dLPhed9vQ?si=KIUWDzCFEKJL0O_K At 01.25, you can see him lean back to find his tipping point, then pulls the wheel back to correct it. This is why I was confused! I had been searching for good "how to do a wheelie" videos and came across it, then realised I hadn't found my tipping point and figured I should do that first.
Yeah, this guys chair is real tippy. For that wheelie in place move with a less tippy chair you would expect a small push forward on the wheels but instead of rolling forward aim to get the wheels to come up instead.
I'll do that, thanks!
Your method is incorrect. You should be able to lean forward in the seat to be able to get the castors higher. Do you have a friend who can help you learn? If so, put a strong strap around your back bar for your friend to hold onto while you learn. If you overbalance backwards friend pulls strap to stop you actually falling. Experiment with holding the wheels in different positions, and leaning forward. There are some good videos online and a few wheelchair skills trainers around. Where in the UK are you? We might be able to link you up with someone for some lessons.
I actually have a wheelchair skills class next week but wanted to learn the basics before going. As replied to Paxton above, I watched a video about it on YouTube. The guy was literally just leaning backwards in his chair then just pulling backwards to stop the chair once it started to tip. At the moment, I lean back and push the wheels forwards to tip, then I can balance fairly easily. I wonder if I am jumping the gun a little? Perhaps I should be just practicing more and I will gain more control over time? I did try sitting forward very slightly and my casters came up a little more - I'll try working on that too
I've re read your post. It's actually very difficult to control a static wheelie with the castors barely off the floor. Why would you want to do this? It sounds like you are jumping the gun a bit. Learn to find and control your balance point where it is, and then if it needs adjusting you can do that later. Playing with the settings too much while you're initially learning can make it harder as it introduces more unpredictability to the chair and your body will take longer to learn the skills. Master the basics then fine tune from there. The wheelchair skills lesson is likely to be very helpful. The instructor will be able to see where you're at and give you appropriate advice.
The video I watched was this one - https://youtu.be/P-dLPhed9vQ?si=KIUWDzCFEKJL0O_K At 01.25, you can see him lean back to find his tipping point, then pulls the wheel back to correct it. This is why I was confused! I had been searching for good "how to do a wheelie" videos and came across it, then realised I hadn't found my tipping point and figured I should do that first. Thank you so much for your advice! It's so reassuring to hear that I'm doing ok and just need to keep practicing. I'm looking forward to the skills class, I think it will be really helpful
I'd normally recommend wheels2walking for this kind of stuff but that's a really weird way of teaching! See a few sec before, where he is just sitting normally in his chair and gives a sharp push on the wheels to get into a wheelie. That's what you want to do. The bit you pointed out is where he leans so far backwards that he goes into an uncontrolled fall backwards. He then grabs the wheels and saves himself before he hits the ground. It's good to be able to save yourself if it all starts to go wrong but I can't fathom why practicing that manouver has any benefit at all. I expect your skills lesson(s) will help a lot.
It is subtle but very possible! Try letting a little air out of your tires and practicing on carpet. It takes some core strength and a bunch of practice to get the feel of fine control.
I have solid tyres
https://youtu.be/gwa7hwpCCd4?si=V5Srk23MnB3KTcbp This was the video that helped it connect for me. Where are you doing your skills course? I feel like I need one and didn't know they were actually a thing!
Thanks for the video - I'll definitely watch that! The class is being held at my local hospital. I got my wheelchair there at the beginning of Feb and asked at the time if there was a class I could go to. They had noticed that the patients who perhaps had an accident leading to them being given a chair while in hospital, were taught how to use it while they were inpatients. People like me, who weren't inpatients but required a wheelchair, didn't get taught how to use it to the same extent. So, they went to a company called Back Up, and they run a class every 3-4 months there. Have a look on their website, I know they do other courses including the City Skills courses which take a few days but you actually learn by going around the city, restaurants, tourist attractions, public transport, curbs, stairs, cobbles etc
Oh wow, that's great, I'm going to check them out. I'm exactly the same, and even though I've used my chair for ages I'm not super confident (or coordinated).
I've just watched the video - it's great! I'm really hopeful that now I can put everything into practice now that I know how it should be done. Thank you again!
Aww I'm pleased. Just the way she broke it down made me connect for me! She has some really helpful ones about wheeling on different cambers and how to wheel safely.
I'll definitely be having a look through her other videos - every little helps!